The Result: Virginia hung on to upset No. 15 UNC 44-41 at Scott Stadium on Saturday night. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Wahoos, moving their record to 2-4 on the year. UVa also ran their winning streak over the Tar Heels to four straight games.

The Turning Point: The sequence at the end of the first half was a huge turning point in the game. Virginia’s punt to UNC was muffed and recovered by the Cavaliers at the Carolina 20-yard line, leading to a score just before half that them up 27-20. The Tar Heels squandered their opportunity to score in the final seconds of the half and UVa scored touchdowns on the first two drives of the second half to go up 21 points.

The Stat That Tells the Story: Virginia’s run defense showed up against UNC’s dynamic ground game, holding the Heels to 93 yards on 33 attempts, or 2.8 yards per carry. UNC had just three runs of 10+ yards on the evening as well and the Cavaliers finished the game with seven tackles for loss.

Wahoo of the Week: It’s Charles Snowden, who has broken out in the last two weeks after a slow start to the season. He had a huge night against the Tar Heels with 10 tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble that led to a touchdown for the Wahoos in the third quarter.

Bronco’s Winning Formula:

24+ Points?: Yes (44)

+1 Turnover Margin?: Yes (+1)

+5 Average Starting Field Position?: Yes (+8)

1) Weather the big-play storm

As predicted, Carolina got its big plays. In our preview, we said that it was a certainty that UNC would hit big plays on the ground and through the air, and the game could come down to how many of them go for points and if UVa could rally after long gains allowed. The Heels finished with 12 passing plays of 15 yards or more, including touchdown throws of 54 and 76 yards. But UVa was able to survive several other big plays, including back-to-back passing plays of 36 and 29 yards on UNC’s last drive of the half, a series that ended in no points scored. UVa gave up plenty of bombs but was able to limit the damage on just enough of them to survive the game with a win.

Grade: C

2) Give the defense a rest

The Wahoos didn’t stay on the field long enough against Miami and eventually it caught up to them. The defense was winded in the second half and eventually gave way and allowed the Hurricanes to find the end zone. But against UNC, their offense was able to move the ball consistently enough to keep their defense somewhat viable in the second half. UVa won the time of possession by nearly 10 minutes, and had just one three-and-out in the game. The defense still gave up three straight scoring drives late in the game but UVa’s offense did enough to give them a chance.

Grade: B+